Trigger
by Cere
Summary: Something is causing people to suddenly act violently. It's up to Batman to find out what, before it's too late.
1. Part I

**Trigger: Part I  
By Cere**

Taylor stood tall on the alien planet's surface, alert for any danger. His gaze wandered across the barren world. The rock was a rusty red color. Many things could be hiding camouflaged against that rock.

He was in the middle of a rock forest. Stone structures curled in random shapes around him. He cautiously walked around the twisting forms, his finger resting on the trigger of his gun. All his senses were on alert. His eyes searched for the faintest telltale shadow, his nose detected all the dusty odors, his ears picked out the whistling of the wind and…

He froze. There was a faint hissing sound, and it was growing louder. "Rock snakes!" he shouted like a battle cry, as the dreaded creatures came to the surface.

He ran through the twisting rock formations, firing at any rock snakes he could see. The hissing was all around him, drowning out all other sounds. One snake surfaced in front of him and snapped its jaws at him, but he dodged and blasted it. Another snake descended from a rock arch above and sank its fangs into his gun. He tossed the useless weapon aside and continued running.

He could see the base in the distance and put on a surge of speed. Jaws snapped at him from all angles, but he consistently avoided them. The only thoughts in his head were running and dodging. Just a little further, just a little bit further.

There was a hoop formation of rock before the open ground to the base. He jumped through and prepared for the final sprint, but his foot caught on the bottom. He fell flat on his face, and the rock snakes closed in for the kill.

Taylor disgustedly pulled the vid-helmet off his head. The virtual world of the game _Terrain: Xeno_ was replaced by Cheesy Dan's Pizza Parlor. He looked around at the line waiting to use the game and saw Terry, Dana, and Max standing at the front. "Tough luck," Terry said.

"Think you can do better?" Taylor challenged.

"We'll see," Terry replied with a shrug.

Taylor looked at the scoreboard. He was number five on the top-score list. "Someday I'll make number one," he said, and walked away.

"Well," Max said to Terry, "let's see how good you can do."

"Ladies first," Terry said, indicating the way for Max.

Terry watched as she walked up to the console and grabbed the vid-helmet. She was about to put it on when Terry heard a disturbance behind him. He turned just in time to see Taylor knock down another guy. Then he pounced and started beating him.

Terry ran over to help. "Hey, what's the matter?" he asked Taylor. Taylor ignored Terry and kept punching the fallen guy. Terry grabbed Taylor's arm to make him stop, but Taylor shoved him away. Terry picked himself up and rammed into Taylor, knocking him into a table.

Taylor groaned and rubbed his head. Terry stood nearby, wary of attack. "Wh-what happened?" Taylor asked groggily.

"Maybe you should explain that to me," Terry said.

"What are you talking about?" Taylor asked, sounding genuinely confused.

"You were just pummeling that guy over there," Terry said, pointing to the man still laying on the ground.

Taylor just shook his head. Two adults walked up to Terry. "We'll take it from here," they said. Terry gave Taylor one last look before returning to where Max and Dana were waiting.

"What's his problem?" Max asked.

"I don't know," Terry said. "I don't know."

* * *

The next day at school, Taylor wasn't there. Max pointed this out to Terry.

"Yeah, so?" he asked.

"So," Max said, "that means something's really wrong with him."

"I figured that when he pounced on the guy and started trying to beat him to death."

"I know, but it doesn't seem like him. He's just not a mean-tempered person."

Terry turned back to his schoolwork. "I heard his parents were having troubles. Maybe he was under a lot of stress."

"Yeah, maybe," Max said, sounding disappointed. She returned to her history questions.

Terry didn't say it, but he felt a little suspicious as well. He was most puzzled by Taylor's reaction after the incident. It didn't make any sense. Terry sighed. It was probably nothing. But if it was something, he would hear about it eventually.

* * *

"So, who is this girl?" Terry asked.

"She's new at our school," Dana replied. They were driving to Cheesy Dan's for dinner and Dana had invited someone to come with them. "Give her a chance, Terry. She doesn't have any friends. We started talking in Biology today and I think the two of you will have a lot in common."

They arrived at the pizza parlor. Terry parked the car and saw someone waiting at the door for them. She was instantly recognizable by her electric blue hair.

Dana ran to greet her with Terry walking casually behind. Dana turned to talk to him. "Terry, this is Krystal," she said.

"Hi," Krystal said timidly, a complete contradiction of her hairstyle.

Terry nodded. "I like the hair," he said.

Krystal said nothing and turned away.

They made their way inside. Dana held back and nudged Terry in the ribs. "Be nice to her," she whispered. "I want her to like you."

They sat down at a table. "I need to use the restroom," Dana said, and shot a look at Terry before she left.

"So," Terry said, looking at Krystal, "how are you doing tonight?"

"Fine," she answered.

Terry coughed and tried to think of something to say. He noticed the long line of people waiting to use the _Terrain: Xeno_ vid-game. "You ever tried that?" he asked, pointing at the game.

"Only once," she said. "I failed miserably. I'm no good at vid-games."

Dana came back to the table. "So, what did I miss?"

"Nothing much," Terry said. "So, Krystal, why did you dye your hair that color?"

She blushed. "It was supposed to be brown, but my hair reacted weird with the dye."

"I think it looks good on you," Dana said, giving a sideways glance at Terry.

He got the hint. "Yeah," he said. "Very shway."

Krystal's face brightened. "You really think so?"

"I wouldn't have said it if I didn't mean it," he said. Dana smiled at him.

"Man, what's taking them so long to serve us?" Dana said. "Let's go see what's the holdup."

She and Krystal walked off together, leaving Terry at the table. He let his mind wander, gazing up at the ceiling. He wondered how many bank robberies he'd have to stop tonight.

His thoughts were interrupted by screaming. He turned to see Krystal attacking Dana with a knife! _What the hell?_ he thought, and raced to help his girlfriend.

Dana was lying on the floor and trying to block Krystal's stabs with a plate she'd grabbed. Terry ran up and tackled Krystal, forcing the knife from her hand. She kicked and tried to break loose, but Terry held strong. Dana stood up and watched the struggle, her breath trembling.

People had formed a circle around them. Finally, Krystal stopped struggling and Terry got off of her. She sat up and looked around with a blank stare. "What happened?" she asked. "Why is everybody looking at me?" Terry just glared at her.

* * *

"So it happened again?" Max asked, her voice sounding astonished over the phone.

"Yeah," Terry replied.

"It's just like Taylor. He suddenly started attacking someone without warning and didn't remember a thing afterward."

"I know," said Terry. "Dana said she was talking about some TV show when Krystal picked up a knife from a nearby table and started attacking her with it."

"Do you think she's just under a lot of stress, too?"

"I don't know what to think," Terry said. "That's happened twice in the past couple of days. Something strange is going on here. I'm just not sure what."

"Well, keep thinking about it." Max decided to change the subject. "So, are you ready for the field trip tomorrow?"

"The Gotham Museum of Anthropology? I've visited it a couple times. It's a popular stop for burglars."

"I wasn't asking Batman."

* * *

"This clay pot was made by the Incas," the tour guide said in a monotone. "The pictures on the pot are thought to tell a story, though some argue that they were merely for decoration."

Terry tried hard to stay awake. They had been looking at boring old stuff for an hour, and the guide's voice was lulling him to sleep. "Max," he whispered, "help me!"

She giggled. "What, did you stay up all night or something?"

"That's not funny," he said. "Besides, what's the point of looking at this old stuff?"

"It's a window into the past," she replied. "With these artifacts, we can discover what humans were like a long time ago."

"So why do they have to torture us with it?"

Max shook her head. "Don't you find any of this interesting?"

"Only you could find a cracked cup interesting."

"The robbers seem to find it interesting," she countered.

"Touché," Terry said. "Still, it's just useless junk to me."

Max froze, a strange expression on her face. "Max?" Terry asked. "Are you okay?"

Max suddenly sprang into action and knocked Terry against a display. Glass shattered and alarms started blaring. The rest of the class turned to see Max pull Terry out and fling him against another exhibit.

Terry's mind was spinning. What was Max doing? He blocked her punches and grabbed her arms. She struggled against his grasp, then started kicking him. Terry pushed her away, noticing the wild look in her eyes.

Two security guards arrived. They noticed Max attacking Terry and pulled her away. She broke out of their grip, grabbed a gun from a guard's belt, and leveled it at Terry.

"Max!" Terry shouted, his eyes wide. She ignored him and started firing. Terry ran frantically, hearing shots pass close to him. Then the firing stopped, and Terry saw one of the guards grab the gun from her hand. The other guard grabbed her arm and twisted it behind her back. She crumpled to her knees.

The wild look left her eyes, and she shook her head. "What's going on?" she asked, looking around at her surroundings.

"Come with us," the guard holding her said. "No sudden moves."

"What's happening?" she asked hysterically as she was led away. "Terry, what are they doing?" Terry shook his head, utterly confused.

* * *

Wayne listened to Terry finish his story. "Very strange," he said.

"That's all you can say?" Terry asked.

Wayne turned to the computer. "There have been four other similar cases," he said, typing some keys. Four pictures were displayed on the screen. Terry recognized Taylor and Krystal.

"All suddenly reacted violently, and none of them remember doing it," Wayne explained. "Psychological tests showed nothing wrong, and brain scans were normal. No explanation has been found for their bizarre behavior. They have been returned to their homes under close surveillance should something happen again."

"So what do you think?" Terry asked.

"It reminds me of something," he answered. "Do you know what hypnosis is?"

"Yeah, that's where they swing a watch and you get sleepy."

"That's only in cartoons and TV shows. There used to be traveling hypnosis shows, where a person would hypnotize members of the audience and make them do whatever he wanted. A word would trigger someone to act in a very unexpected way. It was the rage a while ago, but then interest died out."

"So you think that's what somebody's doing? Hypnotizing people?"

"It's a possibility," Wayne said.

"But who would do something like that?" Terry asked. Then the answer came to him. "Spellbinder," he said, pounding his fist into his hand.

Wayne nodded. "He'd be into that sort of thing."

"So, how do I stop him?" Terry asked.

Wayne tapped some more computer keys. "There's no pattern to follow. These incidents show no connection, except the fact that they were all young people and they reacted violently. Perhaps the best thing to do would be to find out how he's doing it."

"I'll talk to Max tomorrow," Terry said.

"Until then," Wayne said, "it's getting late. You're needed out there."

Terry nodded and went to change into the batsuit.

* * *

Batman gripped the controls to the Batmobile and gave the engines a little boost. A button beeped and Wayne came up on the communicator screen. "Gothcom Telecommunications Equipment was just robbed. The robbers are fleeing down Clark Street."

"I'm on it," Batman replied.

"Be careful," Wayne said. "You're in for a race."

_Race_…the word echoed in Batman's mind. He pushed the thrusters to full blast, heading in the wrong direction.

"Terry?" Wayne asked.

He ignored the old man. A tall skyscraper appeared in the distance. Batman gunned the engine and headed towards it at full speed. He knew with total conviction that he had to kill himself.


	2. Part II

**Trigger: Part II  
By Cere**

Buildings zoomed by as the Batmobile raced through the air. The skyscraper steadily grew larger, its promise of death becoming stronger. Batman smiled. It was what he wanted.

Wayne was very worried. Terry was ignoring his calls and heading straight for a crash. This was very irrational behavior for the boy. Wayne knew he had no other choice. He typed some computer keys and accessed the Batmobile emergency override controls.

Batman cried out when the Batmobile suddenly stopped. It just hovered in the air. None of his controls were responsive. He angrily pounded buttons, trying to make them work. Seeing no other option, he wrapped his hands around his throat and started to choke himself.

Wayne watched this latest turn of events on the monitor. There was no time for careful thought, just quick action. From the Batcave, he made the Batmobile suddenly shake back and forth, slamming Terry's head against the seat.

For Terry, it was like he was awakening from a dream. He put his hands back at the controls and stared out the window. He didn't remember coming here. In fact, he didn't remember anything from the past couple of minutes. "What happened?" he asked.

"You were attempting to kill yourself," Wayne said. "Fortunately, I was able to snap you out of it."

Batman was shocked. He tried to work the controls, but they didn't respond.

"I had to take over the Batmobile before you crashed into a building," Wayne informed Terry.

Batman swallowed hard. "I don't remember doing any of it," he said.

"You'd better come back here," Wayne suggested, turning off the override. "I want to run a few tests on you."

Batman turned the Batmobile and headed for the Batcave, his mind swimming with questions.

* * *

Terry kept his eyes closed as the scanner swung around his head, examining his brain waves, brain structure, and other tests. The scanner finished and swiveled out of the way. Terry opened his eyes and walked over to the computer, where Wayne was examining the results.

Wayne was silent for a long time, occasionally pushing buttons and rearranging the data. Finally, Terry got impatient. "Aren't you going to tell me what's wrong?" he asked.

Wayne turned and looked at him. "I'll tell you when I find something wrong."

"You mean nothing's out of place?" Terry asked in disbelief.

"Nothing physical," Wayne answered. "Tell me: what was it like?"

"I don't know," Terry said. He walked over to the computer and leaned against it. "I just remember hearing the word 'race,' and then suddenly I'm in a different part of town, hovering in midair. I can't explain it."

"It sounds like hypnosis," Wayne said, "though it's far more advanced than anything I've ever heard of."

"Spellbinder's got to be behind it," Terry said with conviction.

"We can't be too sure," Wayne advised. "Even if he is, we have no way of locating him." Wayne was quiet, playing with the computer data again. He stopped and turned to Terry. "Do you have any idea when you might have been hypnotized?"

Terry thought for a moment. "I don't know," he said with a shrug. "How do you hypnotize someone?"

"For something this advanced, I can't be sure," Wayne said.

"That's a big help," Terry said.

Wayne glared at him. "I'll need to research hypnosis procedures," he said. "However, I don't think too much information was published on the subject."

"I know someone who's an expert at research," Terry said.

* * *

Max opened the door a crack to see Terry standing outside. "Terry!" she said, fully opening the door. "What are you doing here?"

"I want to talk about what happened yesterday afternoon," he said.

Max glanced at the clock. "It's three in the morning," she said. "I need my beauty sleep."

"You'd better get used to late nights if you want to become Batman," he said. He changed the subject before she could answer. "Wayne thinks it's hypnosis. Someone, probably Spellbinder, is hypnotizing people so that a word will cause them to act radically."

"Really," said Max. "So what are you telling me for?"

"We need you to research hypnosis techniques," Terry said. "We've got to find out how he's doing it."

"Okay," Max said, "but how can you be sure it is hypnosis? After all, the procedure wasn't exactly reliable. Given the technology available, somebody could do a much better job."

"How?"

"There's a brain research company that's investigating motivation and behavior. Mind Workings Research, I think they're called. You should check them out."

"Thank you," Terry said. "I think I will."

He started to leave but Max stopped him. "And by the way," she said, "I could get used to late nights."

"Whatever," Terry answered, then walked off.

* * *

Batman landed on the roof of the Mind Workings Research building. He wanted to have a quick look around before he had to stop for the night and get ready for school. He used his finger lock pick to open the door and made his way inside.

It was very dark inside. Batman quietly made his way around the halls, being sure not to alert any guards that might be in the building. He passed door after door, all of them darkened and locked for the night. Therefore, Batman was surprised to see light streaming from under a door. _Who would be working this early in the morning?_ he wondered. He walked up against the door and put his finger-mikes against it.

Two people were talking. With a shock, Batman noticed that one of them was Spellbinder. He resisted the urge to burst in, and instead let the conversation play out.

"How close is it to being completed?" Spellbinder asked.

"Not much longer," said the other man. "I've finally found a way to amplify the influence field to the level you desire."

"Good," Spellbinder said. "I want it completed by the end of the day."

"Of course, sir," the man replied. "What shall I work on after I'm done?"

"I'll find something for you to do," Spellbinder said. "That's all I need to know for now. Keep up the good work."

"Yes, sir," the man replied. There was a sound of a vid-phone turning off.

Batman couldn't wait any longer. He kicked down the door and entered the room where a very surprised man was working on some electrical equipment. "What are you doing?" the man asked.

"Where is he?" Batman demanded.

The man pushed his glasses up on his nose. "Where's who?"

"Spellbinder," Batman replied.

"I've never heard of anyone named that."

"You were just talking to him!"

"Oh, him? That was my boss."

Batman was confused. He was sure he had heard Spellbinder talking.

"Now," the man asked, "can you please tell me what business you had crashing in here like that? I have important work to do."

"At four in the morning?"

The man looked puzzled. "I beg your pardon?"

"It's four in the morning," Batman repeated slower.

"You must be confused," the man said. "Would the sun be shining at so early an hour?"

Batman looked out the window at the blackness of night. Something was wrong here. He turned his attention back to the man, who was fiddling with his glasses again. Something strange glinted off of them. Batman snatched the glasses away, to the man's protest. He examined the spectacles and found a computer chip imbedded into the frame.

"Now then," the man said, "what's going on?"

"You've been hoodwinked," Batman replied. "Someone replaced your glasses with these, and I think I know who that someone is."

"Why would someone do such a thing?" the man asked, very flustered. "This is preposterous."

Batman continued looking over the glasses, noting Spellbinder's work woven into them. "He wanted you to do something for him without knowing what you were doing," he asked. "Tell me, what were you working on?"

"A device to plant hypnotic suggestions," he said, then stopped short, as if shocked to hear his own words. "Now why would I make such a thing?"

Batman walked over to the table and examined the machinery lying on it. "You recognize any of this stuff?" he asked Wayne.

"No," he replied. "This isn't my area of expertise."

"I didn't know you had one," Batman said. He turned back to the man. "Do you know what he was going to be using this for?"

He shook his head. "No clue."

Batman frowned. This lead hadn't taken him any closer to Spellbinder. However, he had stopped whatever Spellbinder was doing here. He should probably consider that a success. Nothing else to do, Batman walked over to the window and sailed out into the night.

* * *

"I should have gotten more sleep," Terry mumbled. There was a shway party going on at the moment, but he just couldn't muster up any energy to enjoy it.

Dana sat across from him, eyeing the partygoers dancing out on the floor. "What were you doing last night?" she asked.

"Stuff for Mr. Wayne," Terry said.

Dana huffed. "I've should go and tell him to be less hard on you."

Terry groaned. "I don't think that would work."

A laughing figure was making its way toward their table. Terry noticed that it was Greg, a boy who'd dropped out of school a couple of months back. He hadn't been seen around much since then, though Terry had heard wild rumors about stuff happening to him.

Greg walked right up to their table and sat down. "Terry," he said enthusiastically, "how are you doing?"

"Tired," he said. "Where are you up to these days?"

Greg shrugged. "Stuff," he said. "Say, did you hear about that wild race last Tuesday?"

Terry scrunched his forehead in thought. "What race?" he asked.

"You know," Greg said. "That _race_."

Terry shook his head. "I'm sorry. I don't know what you're talking about."

Greg seemed disappointed. "Never mind," he said, and quickly walked away.

Suspicions ran through Terry's mind. _Why did he emphasize that word?_ he wondered. He stood up and watched Greg leave the building. "I'll be back soon," he told Dana, and left to follow Greg.

Greg was hurrying down the street. Terry stayed behind him, keeping to the shadows. They kept moving for several blocks before Greg came to an alley. He gave a few nervous glances around to be sure no one was watching, then ducked inside. Terry came to the opening but didn't enter.

He heard Greg dial a phone and wait for the other person to answer. "It didn't work," he said in hushed tones. "The trigger word had no affect on him." He listened to the response and then turned off the phone and put it away. Terry hid in a shadowed doorway as Greg left the alley, gave another look around to make sure he had been unnoticed, and walked away. Terry watched as he disappeared into the night.

* * *

A dark figure soared through the night. He scanned the streets below him, looking for a certain someone. He discovered his target and swooped down to snatch him up.

Greg let out a yell as Batman grabbed his shoulders and lifted him away. "Hey!" he screamed. "What do you think you're doing?"

Batman remained silent until he reached a rooftop and roughly dropped Greg onto it. "Where's Spellbinder?" he asked as he landed nearby and walked menacingly towards Greg.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Greg said, a small quiver in his voice.

Batman grabbed his shirt and lifted him of the ground. He headed towards the edge of the roof and suspended Greg over empty space. "Does this jog your memory?" he asked.

"You wouldn't," Greg said.

Batman just smiled and let go. Greg screamed as he plummeted through the air. Batman shot a batrope that hooked Greg's shirt and pulled him back up. "I might miss next time," he said, glaring into his eyes.

"I don't know where he is," Greg said. "Honest! I just talk to him on my phone."

"How's he hypnotizing people?" Batman asked, giving Greg a shake.

"Th-the _Terrain: Xeno_ game," he answered.

"Good boy," Batman said. He threw Greg down on the rooftop and flew away, leaving Greg shivering where he lay.

* * *

The interior of Cheesy Dan's was dark. Batman's footsteps echoed as he walked towards the vid-game. "It makes perfect sense," Batman told Wayne. "The game would give him access into the people's minds and therefore the opportunity to plant hypnotic suggestions."

"And it explains why all the victims were young people," Wayne added.

"Exactly," Batman agreed. He reached the machine and started looking around for anything unusual. He peeked around the back and noticed a strange cord connected to the machine. Red and black spiral patterns decorated it. "This looks good," Batman said.

He followed the cord and found that it ran through a hole in the wall. Outside the building, Batman found a transceiver connected to the strange cord. He took a device from his belt and attached it to the transceiver. "Let's see where he's hiding," Batman said as the device traced the transmission pathways. It finished its work with a beep, and he read the display. Then he launched up to the Batmobile and took off for the location displayed.

He arrived at a small, boarded-up building. The door crashed to the ground as he kicked it open to find a bare room. He made his way across the floor to another door. Another kick broke down this door, and Batman found a room filled with computer equipment. Spellbinder was busy working at a console, ignorant of Batman's entry.

"Spellbinder," Batman shouted, "your game is up. I've found out what you're doing, and-"

He cried out as electricity ran through him. He fell limp to the floor. The last thing he saw was the Spellbinder hologram, still working steadily at its console.

* * *

Batman awoke to a pounding headache. He looked around to see metal restraints binding him to the wall in a different room. He groaned. How had he gotten into this one?

A holographic image of Spellbinder appeared. "Ah, Batman," he said, "you're awake."

"I know what you're doing, Spellbinder," Batman said, though it probably didn't sound very threatening in his present position.

"Yes, Batman, you figured it out," Spellbinder said. "The good doctor Wellman was very instrumental in helping me. He has a very high knowledge of the brain's workings, you know. It was easy enough to fool him into working all day yet thinking it was only the afternoon. Had you not interfered, his machine would have transmitted my power over television and given me the ability to have every television viewer under my control. But alas, that plan has failed. You've ruined my fun. I'll have to entertain myself some other way."

The hologram walked right up to Batman and stared into his face. "I have a test for you, Batman. I've had the good fortune to get my hands on a large amount of explosives. They have been placed in such a spot that their detonation would decimate the entire city. I snatched a person off the streets, fitted him with the detonation device, and sent him off with a suggestion placed in his mind. When he hears a certain word, he'll push the button and destroy all of Gotham!"

Spellbinder laughed as Batman realized the full impact of his words. "Why do you think I'm not here in the person?" Spellbinder asked. "I don't want to be caught in the explosion. Who knows, maybe you only have one more minute to live? Kind of scary, isn't it, to know that at any moment you might die."

The restraints opened and Batman fell to the floor. "I hope you do well, Batman," he said. "Just think of all the innocent people that might die if you don't." Then he laughed, and the hologram disappeared.

Batman exited the building and flew up to the roof. His eyes wandered around the city. It seemed larger now with this impossible task set before him. There must be over a million people in the city, and he had to find the one person that would destroy it all. It was like trying to find a needle in a haystack, only this was a very big haystack and a very sharp needle.


	3. Part III

**Trigger: Part III  
By Cere**

Impossibility stared Batman in the face. He looked out onto Gotham and the people that inhabited it. One of those people contained the detonation switch for a bomb that would destroy the entire city. When that person heard a certain word, he would push the button and it would be all over for the citizens of Gotham.

"We have a problem," Batman said.

"No kidding," Wayne agreed.

"You heard the whole thing?" Batman asked.

"All of it," Wayne replied.

"What do you suggest we do?"

Wayne thought for a moment. "We need to approach this logically. Spellbinder said it was a man, so that narrows down our search a little."

Batman tried to clear his head and run over everything Spellbinder had said, searching for the smallest clue. "He said it would decimate all of Gotham," he said. "That would take a lot of bombs."

"Or a very large one," Wayne suggested.

"A nuclear explosion could do it," Batman said. "But where's he going to get a nuclear warhead?"

"A good question," Wayne said. "I'll start searching the internet for any missing nuclear explosives."

"But that still won't tell us where it's hidden," Batman said, "or who is rigged to detonate it." He thought for a moment. "Is there any way to detect whether someone has a hypnotic suggestion planted in their brain?"

"I have no knowledge of the technology being used here," Wayne said. "However, I could access the Mind Workings Research computers and download Dr. Wellman's files."

"Do that." Batman's eyes scanned the city once again. There was one possibility he hadn't mentioned. _Maybe this was all a ruse,_ he thought, _to send me on a wild goose chase. That would be Spellbinder's style. Still, I can't take that risk._

He descended back into Spellbinder's lair to search for clues. Maybe there was a file on a computer that would help him out. He accessed the computer but found that all files but one had been wiped.

Batman opened this one file and an image of Spellbinder filled the screen. "Now, now," he said, "I don't appreciate you touching my stuff."

"Do you think I care?" Batman asked.

The recording continued. "I can assure you that you'll find nothing of use on this computer. In fact, this computer is so useless that I'll save you the trouble of having to trash it yourself. When you opened this program, it sent a signal to the explosives hidden in the basement. By the time I finish this sentence, they will have detonated. Bye!"

But Batman didn't wait for the sentence to finish. As soon as he heard "explosives," he grabbed the computer and ran from the building. He made it out the door just as the blast occurred, throwing him away from the building. He tumbled along the ground as flaming bits of the building fell around him. When he had stopped, he turned to see the smoldering wreckage. No chance of finding any clues there now.

Next to him lay the crushed computer that he had saved in hopes of performing a data recovery. That possibility was also gone. He flew away before the firemen arrived and rested on a building adjacent. He needed to think of another plan.

A voice on his cowl-link interrupted him. "Nice night, isn't it?"

"Spellbinder," Batman said threateningly.

"The one and only," he replied. "Is that a fire I hear in the background?"

"How did you get the frequency I'm using?" Batman asked.

"It was easy to obtain while you were unconscious," Spellbinder answered.

"What else did you do?"

Spellbinder ignored the question. "So, now that you discovered nothing at my hideout, what will you do next?" Batman was silent. "Okay, you've convinced me. Since I'm enjoying this every bit as much as you are"--Batman growled--"I'll give you a hint to help you along. If you go to Gotham Central Park, you'll surely find the man with the detonator switch there. That's all I'm saying." Then he was silent.

Batman quickly changed the frequency of his cowl-link before considering what to do next. Should he follow Spellbinder's hint? It might just lead to a dead-end. But then again, he didn't have much else of a choice. The decision made, he flew off into the night.

* * *

Gotham Central Park looked eerie under the moonlight. Batman glided overhead, looking at all the people and wondering which one was rigged to blow up the city. Then he saw a familiar face and immediately knew who it was.

Greg was sitting on a bench and reading a magazine when Batman swooped down and landed right in front of him. Greg calmly set the magazine down and looked at Batman. "Hello," he said.

"Listen, Greg, Spellbinder has-" Batman started, but stopped. "You don't look surprised."

"Spellbinder said he'd lead you to me," Greg replied.

"But why?" Batman asked, then noticed a sound behind him and turned to see Jokerz advancing towards him. "Big deal. I've beaten up their kind before." He returned to the main point he was trying to get across. "Listen, Greg, you're wired to explode the city."

Greg looked confused. "What are you talking about?"

"Spellbinder planted a bomb in the city," Batman explained, "and someone has a hypnotic suggestion planted that will make them set it off."

"Spellbinder never said anything about that."

"Of course not. He left you here to do the job."

Greg's face hardened. "You're lying to try to freak me out."

The Jokerz had arrived and were standing behind Batman. "Excuse me while I deal with a distraction," he said.

Greg just smiled and said, "Good night." The hypnotic suggestion planted in Batman's brain took effect, and he fell into unconsciousness.

A Joker picked Batman up and slung him over his shoulder. "So," he said to Greg, "how much are we getting paid for this?"

"Let me check with my boss," Greg said, and pulled out his cell phone. He dialed Spellbinder's number and waited while the phone rang. It didn't stop. Nobody picked up on the other side. Confused, Greg turned off the phone and put it away.

"Well?" the Joker asked impatiently.

Then Batman's words hit him, and Greg knew with horrifying realization that he was right. He instantly took off, leaving the Jokerz behind.

"What's up with him?" one asked.

"Who knows," said the leader. He shifted Batman on his shoulders. "We'll talk to him later. Right now there's some fun to be had." The Jokerz took off, cackling.

* * *

Wayne looked at the results for the internet search. No nuclear weapons were missing. That lead had led nowhere. _Could Spellbinder have made his own nuclear reactor?_ Bruce speculated. _Not likely. Maybe he's just making this all up._

A call came on the vid-phone. Wayne answered it and saw Max's face. "Hi," she said. "I've got some information Terry was looking for, about hypnosis. Seems there's this guy at Mind Workings Research named-"

"Dr. Wellman," Wayne interrupted.

Max was taken aback. "How'd you know?"

"We've already checked him out," Wayne said. "He was fooled by Spellbinder into trying to make a machine to hypnotize people through TV channels."

"Oh," said Max. She was silent for a while. "So, have you stopped Spellbinder then?"

"Not quite," Wayne said.

Max waited for him to continue. When he didn't, she said, "Well, aren't you going to tell me any more?"

Wayne's stony gaze didn't flinch. "Why should I?"

"Because I'm part of the team," Max said.

Wayne was about to object, but then he realized that they needed as many people working on the problem as they could. A different viewpoint might give them the answer. Wayne went on to tell her the whole situation.

Her eyes widened in horror as the problem was explained to her. Then she settled down into thinking mode, her mind sorting through the data, trying to find connections. "Well," she said after some time, "it seems to me that you should stop trying to defuse the bomb and instead take out Spellbinder. Then you can make him tell you where the bomb is."

Wayne was surprised, though his face didn't show it. That was a very good strategy, and one that he hadn't thought of. "I'll tell Terry that," he said, his voice not conveying the new light he saw her in.

Wayne went to contact Terry, but nothing happened. He didn't respond. Wayne replayed the microphone recording and listened to the last conversation between Terry and Spellbinder. _He must have changed the frequency,_ Wayne realized, _so that Spellbinder wouldn't hear anything else. Still, I can't talk to him if I don't know the correct frequency._

Wayne activated the suit locator program, designed to track the homing beacon installed in the batsuit. To his surprise, Terry wasn't in the park, but instead was heading into a run-down area of Gotham frequently prowled by gangs. Had he found some lead? Without talking to him directly, there was no way of knowing.

"So," said Max, "is there anything else you need me to do?"

"No," said Wayne, activating the vid-link to the batsuit, "I think I can take it from here." Then the vid-link picture appeared, and he swore when he saw Jokerz crowding the screen. And from the angle of the camera, it looked like Terry was being carried.

"What?" Max asked, alerted by Wayne's language. "What's the problem?"

"Jokerz," Wayne said between gritted teeth. "They've got him." He stood up and started to walk away.

"Hey!" exclaimed Max. "Where do you think you're going?"

Wayne turned and looked at her. "To help Terry."

Max shot him a yeah-right look. "You, the derelict old man?"

"I've handled them before," Wayne said, remembering the first time he had run into Terry.

"I don't think so," Max argued. "I want to get a piece of the action."

"No," Wayne said firmly.

"Do you think that I can't handle it?" she asked loudly. Then a thought hit her, and her voice grew softer and more spiteful. "I get it," she said. "You think you're some high and mighty god who has to do everything himself. You'll never even give somebody else a _chance_ to _try_ and prove themselves." She sat back, folded her arms over her chest, and glared at Wayne. "I understand perfectly."

Wayne sighed and bowed his head. This girl was going to be a real pain; he could see it. However, there were more important things at the moment. Besides, he was conscious of his old age, and if there were a lot of Jokerz, they could be more than he could handle. If he sent Max, he could still help by remotely operating the Batmobile.

He sat back into his chair and started typing commands into the computer. "I'm sending the Batmobile over to your place," he said, not looking away from his work.

Max smiled broadly. "Thank you," she said.

Wayne turned to glare at her. "You have one chance," he said before ending the call.

* * *

Max gleefully hopped into the Batmobile. She looked at all the controls. "How do I fly this thing?" she asked.

Wayne's face appeared on a monitor. "You don't," he said. "I'll control it from here."

Max folded her arms over her chest and glowered at him, but she supposed she should be glad that he had conceded this much. There was nothing to do but wait in silence as the Batmobile raced through the city.

It reached its destination and stopped in the air. Max looked out the window to see a building below with much of the roof collapsed. In the middle of the floor was a big bonfire, and the howling of Jokerz could be heard loud and clear.

"Great," Max said. "Now what do I do?"

"You fight them," Wayne said, and the Batmobile descended rapidly.

"Wait!" Max cried. "Don't I need a weapon or something?"

Wayne smiled. "You should have thought of that beforehand."

Max growled. "You are so going to get it! When I get my hands on you, I'll-" She was cut off when the drop hatch opened and she landed roughly on the ground.

She looked up to see dozens of Jokerz staring at the newcomer. Over in the corner, Batman was chained upside-down to a steel rafter, still unconscious.

"Well, well," one of the Jokerz said after a long silence, "what do we have here?"

Max said nothing, but instead started running for Batman. Two Jokerz quickly blocked her way. "Where are you going?" one of them asked. "The fun's just begun." She kicked him in the gut, grabbed his arm, and swung him into his partner.

Another Joker grabbed her arms. "Whoa!" he exclaimed. "Feisty little thing!" She promptly kneed him between the legs.

By now, the Jokerz had realized that she meant business. A few of them brought out knives, and a couple mounted motorbikes and started circling around her, swinging chains over their heads.

"You come to beat us up?" a Joker with wild pink hair asked threateningly. "We'll mash you into pulp!" He whipped his chain at her and lashed her across the arm, making her cry out. This made the other Jokerz laugh.

"Do that again and I'll hurt you," Max threatened with more confidence than she felt.

The pink-haired Joker turned his bike to face her. "You think you're tough?" he asked. He gave his engines a rev and sped toward her. "I'll turn you into roadkill!"

She danced away at the last moment and stuck out her leg. The Joker was knocked off his bike and hit the ground hard. The motorbike didn't stop and drove straight into the bonfire. It exploded, causing many of the Jokerz to hit the ground.

Max used the distraction to her advantage and ran straight for Batman. She was almost there when a strong arm grabbed her and spun her around. She started to struggle but stopped when she felt a cold knife at her throat.

"Make one move," the Joker said in a deep voice, "and I'll slit your throat."

A black gloved hand grabbed his shoulder and turned him around. "Excuse me," Batman said, "but I don't think the lady likes you handling her like that."

The Joker roared and swung his knife at Batman. He easily dodged and in one swift motion grabbed the Joker's arm and flung him into a crowd of advancing Jokerz.

"Thanks for the assistance," Max said.

"Don't mention it," Batman replied. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to rescue you," she said with a smile.

"Looks like you're the one that needs rescuing," Batman said, looking at the Jokerz. Some of them had gotten guns and were shooting at them. One shot grazed Batman's arm.

"That's our exit cue," Batman said. He grabbed Max, spread his wings, and launched up and away from the building. The Jokerz yelled after them, but they couldn't follow. Batman arrived at a rooftop and set Max down.

"Are you okay?" Batman asked.

"I'm fine," she said breathlessly. "How about you?" She pointed to the place where he had almost been shot.

He glanced at it. "Just some damaged circuitry," he said. "I'll have Wayne fix it when I get back to the Batcave. So, how did you find me?"

"Wayne brought me here," she replied matter-of-factly.

Batman did not conceal his surprise. "He actually let you do that?"

"It's a long story," she said. "We have other things to worry about right now."

"Right," he said. "I know who is rigged to explode the city. It's Greg."

"The dropout?"

"Yeah. He must have gotten connected with Spellbinder recently and is now working for him. He has no idea about the whole scheme, which is a good sign he's a part of it."

"Makes sense to me," Max said. "Where do we find him?"

"I have no clue," Batman replied, "but we have to do it fast."

"Right," Max agreed, "or this whole city goes up in one big boom."

She started to leave, but turned to see Terry frozen there, a strange look on his face. "Are you okay?" she asked.

He said nothing. Instead, he reached to his left arm and pulled up the sleeve, exposing the detonation switch for the bomb. Max had little time to think before he pushed the button.

* * *

Spellbinder felt a wonderful feeling of satisfaction when he received the radio transmission. The detonation switch had been programmed to send a second radio signal to him, along with the one to the bomb, to let him know when it had been activated. _Wonderful,_ he thought with supreme pleasure. _And he'll never even know he did it._

Spellbinder couldn't contain his laughter. It was so ironic! Batman, the defender of Gotham City, was now about to kill them all!

* * *

Wayne watched from a camera mounted on the Batmobile. He saw Max's fight with the Jokerz, saw them escape without much trouble, and was now watching them as they stood on the rooftop, talking about something. He was about to send the Batmobile over to them when he saw Batman reveal the detonation switch.

A chill of horror ran through him. He realized that Spellbinder had fooled them all. Now they were going to pay the price.

* * *

Max held her breath, waiting for the explosion. It was all over. They had lost.

Nothing happened.

Tentatively, Max started breathing again, unsure if it was safe to do so. Batman seemed confused, and pushed the switch again. Still nothing happened. He brought it up to his face and saw that it had been damaged and was unoperational.

_Thank you, Jokerz,_ Max thought. The shot that had grazed his arm had saved all of them from destruction.

But the determined look on Batman's face didn't go away. Instead, he spread his wings and flew away, catching Max by surprise. She watched as he soared off into the night. _Where's he going to?_

The Batmobile landed next to Max. She quickly hopped in and it raced off to follow Batman. "What happened?" Wayne asked.

"The Jokerz broke the detonation switch," Max explained.

"So why hasn't he snapped out of his trance?"

"I don't know," Max said with confusion on her face. "He must be programmed to do something else."

"That might be it," Wayne said. A thoughtful expression came upon his face. "Spellbinder may have anticipated the possible failure of the switch. Therefore, he put a backup plan in place to ensure the bomb would be detonated. But as for what that plan is..." Realization dawned on him. "He's going to set it off directly!"

"Wonderful!" Max said without a hint of sarcasm. "He'll lead us straight to the bomb."

The buildings started to change around her. She noticed that they were heading into the power plant district. Batman hadn't slowed down a bit and headed straight for a nuclear power plant.

Max gasped. "Of course!" he exclaimed. "Spellbinder planted a bomb inside the nuclear power plant. That way, the chain reaction would unleash a nuclear explosion onto the entire city."

"I can't believe I didn't see that," Wayne said.

"Don't be hard on yourself," Max said. "The important thing now is that we figure out how to stop him."

"That'll be easy," Wayne said.

Max didn't have time to ask him how. Batman landed next to a building and rushed inside. Max quickly grabbed a two-way communicator headset from the Batmobile before dropping out and following him.

"Follow closely," Wayne instructed through the headset. "Tell me when you see the bomb."

Max followed the orders and raced after Batman. However, he was sprinting through the complex, and Max was having a hard time keeping up. "I've got to work out more," she said to herself as she walked through what seemed like the millionth door and saw Batman heading straight for one of the reactors. At its base was the bomb.

"I see it!" Max shouted. "He's going to detonate it!"

Batman suddenly froze. Max rubbed her eyes, making sure he was seeing things right.

"Well," Wayne said, "did it work?"

This brought Max to her senses. "Yeah," she said. "But what did you do?"

"It's a safety feature I built into the suit," Wayne explained, "in case anybody stole it. The suit is frozen and incapable of movement."

Max breathed a sigh of relief. "Then it's over?"

* * *

Spellbinder growled in frustration. A camera placed in the same room as the bomb showed Batman stopped in front of the panel. Why was Batman hesitating? He was so close!

Spellbinder sighed. There must have been a flaw in his hypnotic suggestion. Apparently, the subject couldn't take his own life. That Terry kid hadn't killed himself, and now Batman was also incapable of ending his own life. What a shame.

But Gotham City was going to blow up one way or another. Spellbinder reached for the remote detonation switch on his console.

A crash startled him. He whirled to see that the door had been shot down, and Greg was holding a gun in his hand. "What do you think you're doing?" Spellbinder asked, annoyed at the intrusion.

"I helped you set up this base," Greg said. "I knew where you would be hiding from the bomb you planted in Gotham."

"So what brings you here?"

"You were going to kill me," Greg said. "You just left me in Gotham to die with everyone else."

"And your point is?"

Greg aimed the gun at Spellbinder. "No one messes with me."

"I'll make a note of that," Spellbinder said while he reached his hand under the console and grabbed his vision-eye. Before Greg had a chance to shoot, Spellbinder whipped it out and flashed Greg with it. He would now believe he was in a jungle.

"You aren't going to pull that trick on me!" Greg shouted, and started firing wildly. The shots missed Spellbinder, but they ravaged his equipment. He took one look at the damage console and his missed chance to kill Batman, then quietly stole away, leaving Greg still shooting madly.

* * *

Terry sat on the medical table, his batsuit back in its case. He watched as Max wandered around the Batcave, examining every little object and making remarks about how cool all of it was. He turned to Wayne and saw him also observing her. "Does she have to be so noisy about it?" Wayne asked.

"Hey," Terry said, "many people would love to get a look at all the stuff in here."

Wayne grumbled. "This isn't a museum."

"Then why else are you saving it?" Terry asked. "Doesn't the possibility of opening a Batman museum intrigue you?"

Max returned before Wayne could answer. "This place is so shway," she said. "It's unbelievable."

"Remember it well," Wayne said, "because you probably won't get a chance to see it again."

Max laughed. "Are you kidding? After what I did tonight, you're just going to throw me away? You said you'd give me a chance, and I managed to save Gotham City from total destruction. Are you really going to let go such good super-hero material?"

Wayne shot her a quizzical look.

"Oh, come on," Max pleaded.

"The only reason I used you tonight was because Batman was unavailable," Wayne said. "End of story."

Max glared at him. "Nice way to show your appreciation."

Terry quickly changed the subject. "So, is anyone else still worried about Spellbinder?" he asked. "He still has that hypnosis technology."

"Maybe not," Wayne said. "An anonymous phone call brought the police to a building outside of Gotham filled with destroyed machinery similar to what Wellman had been making. Thought we can't tell if that was all the equipment Spellbinder had, it's pretty safe to say that he won't be doing much for a while. Also, Dr. Wellman is now working on a way to detect hypnotic suggestions. If he succeeds, we won't have to worry very much about another episode like tonight's."

"But if we do," Max chimed in, "you can be sure that I'll be there to help out."

Wayne made an exasperated noise. "Don't you have something else to do?" he asked, and stalked off to the computer.

Max huffed, but let Terry lead her away. "What's his problem?" she asked when they entered Wayne Manor.

"He just has a hard time showing appreciation," Terry said. "And besides, you were pushing a little too hard. He won't do anything if you try to force him into doing it."

"But how can I convince him that I'm worthy to be Batgirl?"

"I think you'll need a lot more training to get that far," Terry said with a laugh, "but you did good tonight. You showed promise, and Wayne won't forget that."

Max was thinking while Terry drove her home. When they arrived at her place, she stopped before leaving the car. "Terry," she said, "do you ever feel afraid while you're out there?"

Terry smiled and patted her on the shoulder. "Run along now," he said. "We have to get ready for school."

Max reluctantly left the car and watched it drive away. Terry hadn't answered, but maybe that was an answer in itself. Then she remembered that she had saved Gotham City last night, and she smiled.


End file.
